E-mail systems are becoming all pervasive as communication mechanisms, especially with the rapid increase in the use of computers and the internet. The existing e-mail systems provide a number of features to facilitate communication. However, these e-mail systems are not very friendly for people with disabilities, as these systems require the user to be in close proximity with the computer containing the e-mail system. It is desirable in situations involving people with disabilities to have a means for accessing the e-mail system remotely and in particular through a voice input mechanism.
The voice recognition systems are also known. These systems require the user to be physically proximal to the computer for operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,718 describes an e-mail delivery system for wireless communication system. However, this invention is limited to situations involving wireless transmissions over large distances using base stations. It is therefore targeted only at the mobile user segment and does not address the requirements of disabled users in a contained environment. Further more, this system does not enable the utilization of the full benefits and features available from an e-mail system when used directly on a computer.
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) require Internet Service Provider (ISP), as an intermediary and are therefore limited. Further, such systems are useful only when communication is over a large distances and not in a contained environment.